A Chemist’s Lessons and Recommendation for Interdisciplinarity Teaching and Learning

Dr. Nikola considers all the postgraduate taught master’s courses within his department to be highly interdisciplinary, though based in chemistry, with applications across various industries. These courses are taught to a mixed cohort of students from analytical science, polymer and material science, and biomedical science. However, the core scientific concepts of the courses remain rooted in chemistry. Nikola’s teaching also emphasises the development of transferable skills, such as writing, communication, leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and project management. He is responsible for the Postgraduate Certificate in Transferable Skills in Science (PGCTSS), which delivers skills training to all research students in the Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

In this case study, he shares his experience teaching in the Department of Chemistry, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinarity for students' employability and future careers. He highlights that developing interdisciplinary courses from scratch and inviting perspectives from different departments can be effective for incorporating this approach into the university’s teaching practice. However, organisational challenges, such as timetabling, university systems, and cost structures, must be addressed. He further recommends collaboration and learning from others to implement interdisciplinarity, rather than reinventing the wheel and starting from scratch. Student concerns about grades can be addressed by zero credit learning activities stressing learning over assessments.